October Sessions - Carrol Spool

The October Sessions. This interview series features a nice blend of my everyday peeps and some influential names you've come to know and love. Most of my guests have a connection in some form or fashion to KD the Writer. This guest has an affiliation with KD the Person. Yes, there is a difference between KD the Writer and KD the Person. A number of differences, actually. Trust me, it's a whole entire thing. The most notable being that KD the Person is seldom on social media while KD the Writer only exists on social media. How do I make the distinction between the two? Yeah, it really is a whole entire thing.

It is now a high honor and personal pleasure to introduce Carrol Spool. Lets get off into the meat and potatoes, shall we?

KD: So first, let's get into the overall picture of Carrol. Like, give a glimpse of what makes you who you are.

Carrol Spool: I would have to say I never tried to fit in. I am comfortable being with or without people. I try to instill that in my children as well. That is why I have a small circle of people in my life. I have one friend I've had for 23 years outside my family. When you know yourself and love yourself, you realize people are mere distractions. I will say if I let you in, then you're in for life.

KD: What do you do to kick back, sit back, relax, and unwind?

Carrol Spool: Who has time to relax these days? Haha! I like being home in my space watching one of my favorite shows. I like to read and occasionally write. It just depends on how my work week went. Lately, I've wanted to do things that require little thought on my part.

("Little Thought Process Required" should be the name of an after hours/happy hour drink.)

KD: Give a shout-out to your corner of the world by telling me the best thing about your neck of the woods.

Carrol Spool: Well, I have been living in Denver, Colorado, for a year and a half, and I love it here. I'm from the east coast, and it is very humid. Here it's hot but not that "sticky take your breath away because of the humidity" hot! Also, the mountain views are breathtaking - with and without the snow.

KD: Thoughts on the month of October?

Carrol Spool: I can't say October brings any emotions or thoughts outside of Halloween. It reminds me of how much I miss my mom because of Halloween. My mother loved all holidays. She would decorate our house inside and outside according to the occasion. She would dress up for Halloween to give out candy. She is what made holidays special.

(Candy corn! I mean, why can't it be a thing year round? Now real corn, on the other hand...)

KD: Okay, so what genre of music/movies & shows do you listen to/watch more than others?

Carrol Spool: Well, for music, I listen to more rock than anything else. Movies, I like a lot of action and tv shows, crime dramas. I would say sci-fi, but there aren't a lot of sci-fi movies being produced these days.

KD: You pose a good point about the lack of sci-fi movies being produced. In fact, now that's got me wondering. The upcoming Avatar, would it be considered more sci-fi or fantasy? I'll let the readers ponder that while we continue this interview. So, of all the places you have visited, what locale has resonated with you the most? Why?

Carrol Spool: I visited Denver in 2017 with my two daughters. I have always wanted to move here for as long as I can remember. I don't know. Something in the universe kept tugging at me, so I wanted to see why I thought this was the place. I was more in love with it than ever. I can't explain it, but I feel more like myself here than where I grew up.

KD: Yeah, someone on the "Denver Board of Something" needs to do something with that last answer. And now the question that's on everyone's lips (or should be). Coffee, tea, or...?

Carrol Spool: Both, actually, but I tend to drink tea more for its healing properties. Coffee used to be more like, I like coffee with my cream and sugar. Now I drink it without sugar...

KD: Wait, what?

Carrol Spool: ...but with flavored creamer.

(Okay, but still...)

KD: Sorry...I needed...a moment...after that last response. Okay, what motivates you? Gets you through your day?

Carrol Spool: My children are what motivates me. I always want to be a good role model for them. They have seen me struggle throughout the years. They have also seen me achieve four degrees during those struggles. I would always say, "if I can work full-time, take care of three kids and go to school, there aren't any excuses why you cannot make good grades." I want them to know they can achieve anything they want. The only limits they have are the ones they set for themselves.

KD: I try to instill that in my Lil Lex Luthor in-training. How would you describe yourself as far as personality and character?

Carrol Spool: I am pretty laid back. I tend to give others the benefit of the doubt until proven wrong. I am quiet, which can appear to be standoffish to most. I like to think I'm more observant and tend to assess my surroundings before engaging. It takes a lot to get me mad, but when I do, I need time to cool off. I find myself in my head a lot. I am loyal to those I care about. I live with the belief that what you put out into the world, you get back. I try to govern myself according to that mantra.

(It also takes a lot to get me upset, but there was that one time someone had the nerve, the audacity, the unmitigated gall to say beans belong in chili. And they said it to my face.)

KD: How do you think your friends would describe you?

Carrol Spool: My friend would say I am quiet, funny, loyal, and different, haha.

KD: This friend in the singular, may I interview them next? Let's talk music for a sec. Do you lean more toward indie or mainstream?

Carrol Spool: I would lean more towards indie.

KD: A lot of artists on my various playlists are more Indie. So then tell me about the last concert you attended.

Carrol Spool: The last concert I attended was Deftones. My daughter Jasmine introduced them to me back in 2018. I had been trying to catch them ever since. They were mainly touring overseas, then COVID hit. I enjoyed the show even though the acoustics wasn't that great.

(Note to self: YouTube a Deftones song and give them a listen.)

KD: Where do you land on the introvert - extrovert scale?

Carrol Spool: It's funny, I was far on the introvert scale until I worked in various leadership roles. The last personality test I took had me closer to the middle. I feel like I can be either regarding personality. In actuality, being an introvert or extrovert has more to do with how you recharge. I recharge by being solitary. People can be draining, and I work in a role where I have to deal with people consistently throughout my work day. I never have the opportunity to be alone at work outside of going to the restroom.

KD: How active are you on social media?

Carrol Spool: I'm not really that active. I have only been utilizing Instagram for the past few years. I wasn't really on Twitter. I had a Facebook account be deactivated a few years ago. I mostly flip through IG for a few minutes and keep it moving. I may post something every now and then or like someone's post.

(Took a sec to hit me what IG stood for. I still don't know what to do with my Instagram.)

KD: What, to you, is the greatest aspect of America?

Carrol Spool: Our freedoms, although lately, I am starting to wonder. I still believe America is still better than most countries regarding women and religious freedoms.

KD: Flipping the coin, what do you feel is the greatest issue facing America today?

Carrol Spool: Our politics, our leaders aren't for all or even the majority of the people. It's more about personal convictions, pleasing their base, and donors. They really don't care about the people who elected them.

(More food for thought - in both aspect and issue.)

KD: Name something you wish you would have known or learned way earlier than you did?

Carrol Spool: I am an amazing person and can do anything I set my mind to. I had little faith in myself growing up. My self-worth was nonexistent. I was always second-guessing myself.

KD: If only your younger you could see your older you, huh? Any pet peeves?

Carrol Spool: Leaving cabinet doors and drawers open and leaving a swallow of liquid in a container in the refrigerator. Leaving empty boxes in the cabinet. Empty containers in the fridge that once had food in them.

(I dunno, sometimes that last swallow of orange juice left in the corner of the carton could hit just right when you have a taste for...)

KD: Can you tell me about a "Wow" moment you experienced?

Carrol Spool: One of my employers offered to pay for my daughter to get braces. They stated they wanted that to be one less thing I needed to worry about as a single mother.

KD: Wow indeed. Truly an employer worth their salt. Now, what would you say was your biggest accomplishment of 2022 thus far? What's a goal you have for 2023?

Carrol Spool: Obtaining my Master's degree in Management is my biggest accomplishment. My goal in 2023 is to work in the Human Resource field and acquire my first certification.

(If any of my peeps reading this are in need of an HR candidate...)

KD: What's an unpopular opinion you stand by?

Carrol Spool: Animals are just that, animals. They aren't humans, so stop treating them like they are. I had a co-worker just the other day tell me his dog had surgery for a torn muscle. I'm thinking, it’s an animal. He would be ok to limp around, smh.

(Won't lie, I'm dying to know what side of the fence my readers land on this.)

KD: What are things that you wouldn't mind others knowing about you and your world?

Carrol Spool: I choose to live my best life and do things that make me happy. As parents, we put our children first in our lives for a very long time. Not saying I wasn't living my best life when they were younger. It's just now I have the freedom to make decisions that do not have to involve them.

KD: If peeps wanted to reach out and connect, what would be a preferred method?

Carrol Spool: Honestly, I don't know why someone would want to contact me. I live a simple low-key life. But for shakes and wiggles, I would say via email. Bri.lashe2012@gmail.com.

(Grins and giggles just got replaced in my world by shakes and wiggles.)

KD: If you have a business, project, website you'd like to promote, include it here.

Carrol Spool: I want to promote my daughter Jasmine's website. She composes music primarily for video games. http://perennialsounds.com/. She also has a blog that a person can access from her website. "Edible Arrangements" is the name of it. Also, she is on YouTube

Could you permit me to ask you a question?

KD: Hmm...okay, go for it.

Carrol Spool: Why October? What significance does the month have for you?

KD: For KD the Person, candy corn. My son in a superhero costume. Being invited to various Halloween parties and coming up with creative ways to turn them down.

For KD the Writer, horror. Trick or Treat, sure. Dress up and have parties, of course. But then there's the abandoned house down that deserted road. The creature in the woods that no one sees but you, and it knows you're there. It's all bravado and machismo until it's just you, all alone. No music, no sounds. Just silence...and that thing that just went bump in the night. I write horror, so when I think October I think that. Well, that and candy corn.

My thanks to Carrol Spool for being my October Sessions guest! And for adding shakes and wiggles to my vocabulary. As for you, the reader, thank you for engaging with me. I hope you enjoy reading these sessions as much as I have conducting them! Feel free to share your thoughts! I can be found on Twitter @kdwebster4!

Okay, until the next session...